So Many Memories, So Little Time
by Loveandfriendship
Summary: A collection of one-shots, snippets from other character's perspectives, future scenes that aren't in the final stage, and flash fictions that will range in the word count from Aria's stories. (hiatus)
1. Chapter 1

**So, I apologize for a long time between updates. Life has been…well…it's been life. Rough and sweet all rolled into one. **

**Also, Merry Christmas! Season Greetings! Happy Holidays! **

**As a Christmas present for your patience for me not updating I have written out this one-shot series. It won't be updated often unless you guys suggest some one-shots that you'd like to see happen.**

**Anyhow, enjoy this small one-shot!**

* * *

Naomi's day started out as average. She had gotten up, made breakfast for her two favourite boys, while they got ready to leave. Ren to pick up Riku to take the two boys to the small island to play before heading to work.

After she had tidied up a bit, Naomi decided to sit down to catch up on some light reading. Something that she normally couldn't get done when Sora was around. She loved her son, she really did, but sometimes he was too energetic for his own good.

She had just sat down on the couch, book open in one hand, along with a nice cold drink in the other hand, when there was pounding on the door. Contemplating if she should answer it or ignore it, Naomi eventually gave in. Something could have happened to Sora or Ren and she'd never forgive herself if she ignored the message and found out later.

Setting her book and drink down, Naomi quickly rushed to the door to answer it. Surprise filtered across her face, and she looked down in shocked surprise at Riku.

"Riku?" She gasped out before worry filled her and the questions bubbled out before she could stop them. "Riku? Is Sora alright? Did he hurt himself? Ren?! What happened to Ren? Where are Sora and Ren?"

Shifting uncomfortably on the steps, Riku let Sora's mom ask all her questions first. Knowing that he had worried her by showing up at her house without Sora and his father, Riku answered as calmly as he could, "Sora and his dad are fine. Ren sent me here to bring you to the hospital. Sora and I found a girl on the beach and he took her there."

Naomi pressed a hand to her mouth in relief. "Oh thank god that they're alright. Wait, Riku did you say that you two found a girl on the beach?" She asked shocked.

"Yes, ma'am. She was crying pretty hard and Sora went to get his dad. Ren thought it would be best to take her to the hospital to get checked out." Riku explained quietly.

Naomi didn't even bother grabbing her sweater or her purse. She just slipped on her shoes as fast as she could, telling Riku urgently, "Come on then, sweetie. Let's go find Sora and Ren to see if we can figure out more about this mysterious girl."

During the fast walk to the small hospital, Naomi's thoughts were a mess. There was still an undertone of fear that something had happened to Sora and Ren that wouldn't leave her until she laid her eyes on them both herself. It wasn't until she saw the hospital that she picked Riku up in her arms, much to his disgruntlement, and rushed inside.

Her eyes scanned the waiting room for her husband and son but she couldn't find them. It wasn't until she heard her name being called that she spotted Ren stepping out from a doorway.

Placing Riku down on the ground, Naomi rushed at Ren and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back tightly, kissing the crown of her forehead, and reassured her softly, "We're alright. Sora and I are both alright."

"Thank god. I was worried, Ren!" She slapped his chest with an annoyed huff. "You couldn't have come home to tell me yourself about this girl! No? Instead, you send our son's best friend to tell me and make me think that the worst has happened to one of you!"

Stroking Naomi's hair gently, Ren shook his head to let her know that he'd explain in more detail soon. Putting an arm around his wife, Ren turned to Riku and smiled gently. "Thank for doing that for me, Riku. I appreciate it. Now, what do you say to go to see Sora and Aria? He has her calmed down at the moment and I'm sure she could use another friend."

Getting a nod from the young boy, Ren led Naomi and Riku through a door and down a short hallway. Naomi could already hear Sora talking excitedly. Her heart swelled in pride and love for her son, but before she could walk into the room Ren held her back.

He gave a small shake of his head and went ahead and sent Riku in to join the other children. As Ren led her past the room, Naomi managed to catch a glimpse of the girl and would have gone to a complete stop at the sight before her.

Naomi's eyes roamed slowly over the frightened little girl. She could see bruises forming on the girl's upper arms along with bloodshot eyes. Swollen and red cheeks were obvious signs that the poor girl had been crying her eyes out. Naomi's heart broke for the child sitting on the hospital bed, but before she could say anything or move towards her, Ren was pulling along to a little ways from the room.

Once out of earshot, Naomi immediately started her questioning, "Ren? What on earth happened to her? Did you see those bruises on her arms? The fear on her face? The tears?! Ren, who would just do something like this to an innocent child? How could they! When I get ahold of them I'm going to be giving them a piece of my mind for doing such a thing!"

Smiling sadly, Ren rubbed Naomi's arm comfortingly for both of their sakes. "I'm not entirely sure what happened, Naomi. I dropped Riku and Sora off on the small island to play at and went to leave for work. Sora came running up to me saying that there was a crying girl in the sand and that she was all alone. I went back and saw her sitting underneath a palm tree with an old cloth over her to keep her warm."

Getting more distraught, and angrier, by the second at her husband's lack of answers and more bad news, she snapped, "Are you saying that they left her there for the entire night?!"

Shaking his head grimily, Ren tried to explain himself, "No, I'm not saying that. I'm implying that whoever left her there cared enough to make sure she was safe, warm and insight of view to be found right away."

Naomi made a sound of outrage before she exploded, voice rising with each word, "They cared about her?! Who in their right mind just leaves their child in the middle of the night on a small island that no one will visit until later the next day! That's child abuse, Ren, and it's not right or fair to that poor little girl."

Starting to get frustrated himself, Ren shook his head vigorously. "Quiet Naomi! We don't know for certain what exactly happened. For all we know, leaving her here was the only safe option for her. Or it's as you said and her parents abandoned her. But I honestly don't think that her parents abandoned her willingly. Not when she was screaming for her father and for this Ven. Nor would she want to go back home. Besides, the doctor said that the bruises on her arms didn't look to be from someone hitting her. I think whoever was holding her was trying to protect her. Protect her from what I don't know and I'm not even sure if I want to know honestly."

Knowing that Ren was right, Naomi shrugged his hand off and wrapped her arms around herself. She sighed in defeat and gave up on that for now. Instead, she asked, "What do we do then, Ren? We just can't leave her here all alone. I don't feel right just leaving her."

Rubbing the back of his head in frustration, he shrugged, "Neither do I, but I just don't know Naomi. We aren't sure if her parents are coming back or not. While Sora has taken a liking to the girl, and vice versa, I'm not even sure if she'd want to come with us."

Huffing softly, Naomi narrowed her eyes already knowing that she was starting to love this little girl as her own daughter. Even if she had never spoken to her personally yet. "Then let's go ask her, Ren. There's no harm in asking the poor thing even if it's just until her parents come back to get her."

Knowing that Naomi could be set in her ways and that this was one of those times, Ren only gave her a small, defeated smile. " Alright, let's go ask her. Hopefully, Sora won't mind or take this badly, thinking that we're trying to replace him."

Shaking her head, Naomi leaned against him and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, love. I don't think our son will mind one bit. He's constantly considering every person he meets his friend and Aria is no different."

Chucking to himself, Ren was content to wrap an arm around his wife and led her back into the room. Aria looked up at them briefly and Ren gave her an encouraging smile and said soothingly, "Aria, there is someone very special to me that I want you to meet."

Aria, who had looked back to watch Sora and Riku, turned her gaze briefly to Naomi before looking up at Ren. Her eyes darted between the two grownups in the room and she decided to stay silent, still very unsure about the two adults in the room.

Picking up the slightly rising tension in the room, Sora was quick to point at his mom and explain to Aria, " That's my mom, Aria. She's really nice and makes the best cookies ever! You'd like them, I know you would." Turning to Naomi in excitement, he pleaded with his mom, "Mom? Can you bake some cookies for Aria? They'll make her feel better like they make me feel better!"

Swatting the back of Sora's head lightly, Naomi scolded him softly, "Now Sora, that wasn't very polite, was it? Maybe Aria doesn't like cookies. You just can't assume or answer for other people as it's not very nice."

Mouthing falling open in shock, Sora's entire face scrunched up in horror that Aria might not like cookies. He whipped his towards her, opened his mouth to ask if she did or didn't like cookies, but apologized instead at his mom's look. "Sorry, Aria. Sorry, mommy. I just wanted to stop Aria from feeling sad and to make her heart stop hurting."

Smiling pridefully at Sora, Naomi turned her attention back to Aria. But to her surprise, and her delight, Aria spoke up, "It's okay. I like cookies. My mommy made the bestest cookies for me and daddy and my friends too."

"Cookies do make everything feel better," Naomi said wisely. Smiling softly to not scare the poor child, Naomi knelt in front of Aria and introduced herself, " Hello, Aria. It's nice to meet you. As Sora said I'm his mom."

Aria stiffened in her seat but managed to get out meekly, "Hi. Do you know when mommy and daddy are going to get me? I wanna go home."

Breathing out slowly to keep calm, she gently brushed a strand of hair away from Aria's face, and explained gently, "Oh sweetie. I wish I knew when your mommy and daddy will be here, but until then Ren and I were wondering if you'd like to stay with us?"

Pulling away from the contact with wide eyes, Aria's vision went blurry once more. Swatting at the hand reaching out for her, she whimpered, "But I want my mommy and daddy!"

Swallowing thickly to get rid of the lump in her throat, Naomi let her hand drop her lap. She put on her comforting voice, and said, "I know you do, sweetie, but until they show up for you...you are stuck here on Destiny Islands."

Lips trembling as tears started to fall again, Aria balled her fists and scrunched her nose up. Naomi felt helpless as she watched Aria get ready to throw a well-deserved tantrum.

But before it could escalate, Sora walked over to Aria and curled his hand around one of hers. His voice was soft and comforting as he said, "It's okay, Aria. We'll take care of you until your mommy and daddy come back. You can sleepover at my house! It'll be fun with games and cookies and lots of fun!"

Naomi left out a breath of relief when Aria hiccuped instead of throwing a tantrum. She still had tears falling down, but Sora's words had done the trick to capturing her attention. A silence crept on them before Aria turned to Naomi, mumbling under her breath, ", "I like cookies. I like Sora and Riku. I...I want my mommy and daddy, but I'll stay with you until they come to get me."

Smiling brightly, Naomi ran her fingers through Sora's spiky hair, and replied softly, "Welcome to the family, Aria." The small, ghost of a smile Naomi got in return would always her most treasured smile from her daughter since it meant that she was theirs.


	2. Chapter 2

**A small scene that has been bugging me for a while. This may or may not go into my actual story. If it does, then I'll expand on the scene more when I get to that point. Until then enjoy it!**

* * *

Ven grunted as his back hit the ground. Automatically, his arms reached out to try to catch Aria. Unfortunately, she ended up sailing past him, rolling a bit before coming to a stop.

Immediately, Ven was on his feet, his eyes snapping towards Aria in worry that she had hurt herself badly. Before he could reach her the sound of the portal closing caught his attention. Fear gripped his heart and he spun around, hand stretched out as he yelled, "Wait! Terra! Patrick!"

Just as he started to run towards it, Ven realized that he wasn't going to be quick enough and watched the portal close in front of his eyes. Kicking the ground in frustration, Ven squeezed his eyes shut before exhaling slowly. It won't do to get mad now. _I have to figure out where Patrick sent us, why he sent us here, and how to get away from Aria._

Sniffling sounds came to him now and his shoulders sagged. Running a hand through his hair, Ven's eyes softened at the sight of Aria sitting on her knees. She was rubbing her arm and trying not to cry.

"Are you okay, Aria? Not hurt too bad?"

Rubbing her nose, she tried to put on a brave face. "Uh-uh. I'm okay." Looking around, she inched closer to Ven, uncertain at her new surroundings. "Ven? Where did Daddy bring us?"

Taking a better look around him, Ven had to admit that while it was a calming place by the ocean, the small island they were on wasn't inhabited. If he squinted his eyes, he could see lights starting to come on on the island across from them.

"I'm not sure, Aria, but if we can get across the water, then we can find out," Ven admitted.

Hiccupping now, Aria swiped her non-injured arm across her snotty nose. Reaching out for him, she questioned, "Where's Daddy, Ven? Why did he send us here? Why was Master Eraqus mad?" Her voice trembled fearfully at her last question, "Why was Terra scary?"

Ven curled his hands into balls. "Ugh," he grunted out, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. _What do I? What do I tell her? She's only four...she's too young to understand what is really going on. Besides, Patrick told me to keep her safe. But she's not safe with me...not while Vanitas is still around. _

Placing his hands on his knees, he smiled softly at Aria. Looping his arm around her, underneath her arms so that he had a good grip, he lifted her up and let her latch onto his side, and Aria was quick to try and grip his shirt tightly. Looking around, he noticed a board leading up to a small platform that held a little shack on it.

Shifting his grip, he gave Aria's hand a squeeze and asked her, "What do you say about taking a look up there? Let's see if we can find a way to get to the mainland and drop you off somewhere safe."

Aria froze at his words. She squirmed in Ven's grip and tried to pull away from him, but could only stare at him with wide eyes. "You want to leave me here?" She whispered quietly.

"Aria...I-" But Ven was cut off before he could finish.

"Going somewhere?"

Ven felt his body go tense and he tightened his grip on Aria. Turning so that the side Aria was on wasn't facing Vanitas, Ven set her down slowly beside him. Now that she was out of the way, Ven turned his attention to Vanitas and snapped, "I'm through with you!"

Cocking his head slightly, Vanitas replied coolly, "Well, I'm just getting started with you. You're strong enough now to fulfill your purpose. So, what are you waiting for? Join with me right here and now. Become the x-blade. "

Grinding his teeth, Ven forced himself to keep still and not attack Vanitas. He just had to remind himself that doing this was for Aria's safety. "No, I won't do it. He told me, the only way the x-blade can be forged is if you and I fight. Well, guess what? I'm not fighting."

"You used to be too broken to talk back."

It happened out of nowhere. One moment Ven was standing there and then the next he was clutching his head. Crying out in pain as images swarmed in front of his eyes. He was barely aware of falling to his knees or Aria screaming his name as she pushed on him to get him to come back to her.

Memories slammed into him of his past- of how Vanitas came to be by Xehanort's hand, of the splitting of his light and darkness, and of what Xehanort actually wanted. By the time it was done, Ven was sick to his stomach from disgust.

Gagging, he pressed his palm to his temple and tried to get the vertigo to stop. He became aware of Aria curling against him. Her tiny hands clutched at him as if her life depended on it. Her loud crying didn't help the pounding headache that was forming, but he still wrapped one arm around her to comfort her.

"It's okay, Aria. I'm okay," he murmured softly, trying to calm her down.

A dizzy spell hit him when Ven snapped his head towards a scraping sound. He pushed Aria away from more harshly than he meant to. Stumbling to stand up, Ventus let his hand hover over his armour just in case he needed it.

Noticing that he got Ventus's attention, Vanitas sauntered towards the pair. "Fine. Then I'll give you a reason to fight."

Narrowing his eyes, Ven snapped back, "What?"

Gesturing towards Aria, Vanitas gave Ventus an ultimate choice. "If you don't wish for her to be used instead to get to Kingdom Hearts, then come and find me...at the one and only place to spawn the χ-blade - the Keyblade Graveyard. There you're gonna see me choke out the life of Terra and Aqua. Then we'll see how long you play the pacifist." With that, Vanitas opened up a dark portal and ignored Ventus's yells.

"Wait!" Ven shouted, running towards the portal just before it shut on him. Moving to kick the ground angrily, Ven instead turned his attention to the chain hanging out of his pocket. Pulling out his Wayfinder, he gripped it hard and muttered, "Terra, Aqua...I swear I'll put an end to this, but first, I have to make sure Vanitas and Xehanort never get their hands Aria. I'd rather die than see her being used for this."

Slipping the Wayfinder back into its spot. Ven summoned his Keyblade. Turning around to face Aria, he tried to push the guilt away as he pointed his Keyblade at her. His heart broke into two at the sight of her face, full of betrayal and fear.

"Ven?" Aria croaked out, shaking hard. Her lips trembled as tears fell from her eyes, and she curled into herself as she flinched away from him. Ven was her friend...why was he pointing his Keyblade at her? She was confused, hurt, sad and she wanted her mommy and daddy.

Swallowing tightly. Ven shut his eyes, lowering his Keyblade slightly before pointing it back up at her. Opening his eyes, he whispered hoarsely, knowing that this was for the best, "I'm sorry, Aria...I hope you forgive me one day."

Her squeak of fear broke his heart entirely. Ven made sure it was quick as he said, "Sleep."

He watched the spell curl around her. Her eyes fluttered, struggling to stay open as she blinked at him in confusion. Then her arms fell to her sides as she slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

Sighing, Ven let his Keyblade disappear as he knelt in front of the sleeping girl. A small sigh of relief escaped him as he thought, _There, she looks much more peaceful now._

Scooping her up, Ven glanced around for a safe spot for her. Spotting one underneath a palm tree, he picked up a piece of clothing that he saw hanging outside the window of the shack, and wrapped it around her. Hopefully this would be able to keep her warm in case the night got cold. After making sure she was wrapped up warm and well, Ven checked that she was still sleeping by brushing her bangs away from her face.

"Stay safe, Aria. I'll make sure Aqua and Terra know that Xehanort wants you, and they'll come back for you. They'll be able to keep you safe for me. I promise you that much," Ven whispered softly.

Watching her for a moment more, he stood up determinedly and nodded. Slamming his fist against his armour button, he was soon enveloped in it. He was quick to transform his Keyblade after. Taking one final glance at Aria, he mounted his glider and headed to the Keyblade Graveyard.

He would make sure that she didn't have to face this burden later on.


	3. Chapter 3

**So, this was previously in my actual story "The Promises of Yesterday". Since I'm working on the current chapter 8, I've decided to move this over here.**

* * *

Kairi kicked her feet softly as she gazed out at the ocean deep in thought. Tomorrow was when they'd head out to fight Xehanort and his "cronies" as Aria called them and the thought terrified her down to her core. The fact that she could possibly lose Riku, Aria, or even worse, Sora made her skin crawl in fear. Even though knowing that the other three had significant fights in the past against Xehanort this was her first major fight ever and she couldn't help but worry that she'd end up as a damsel in distress and that her friends would have to save her again.

A feeling of uselessness flooded her and Kairi hated feeling like this, like she was holding them back from their potential that would win this war for them. She knew deep down that her friends would never blame her if anything went wrong, but she couldn't stop being angry at herself for feeling like a useless fool for all of their adventures. Feelings of resentment swirled around with the uselessness, and for a brief moment, she wished that Aqua had never cast that protection spell on her when she was little. That way Sora, Riku, and Aria wouldn't be burdened by her and stupid uselessness of never being able to do anything.

"You know if you keep glaring out at the ocean like that I'm going to start thinking that it did something to piss you off," Aria said casually, leaning against the base of their tree.

Jumping in surprise, Kairi's mouth fell open in a small gasp. The previous feelings of resentment were quickly replaced with shame once she laid eyes on her friend. How could she ever think that her friends would ever be better off never meeting her – even if she had just been swallowed up by the darkness itself? At best she would have ended up in Traverse Town and at worst, she would have died. Either way, sooner or later, her world would have been restored back to normal. Not that she wished she had died. No, she just wished that they had never met her at times. How many times had Aria told her that the only thing that kept her going at her lowest was their sisterly bond? Or the times that Riku had mentioned how much she meant to them all? Or, and her heart squeezed painfully here, the promise Sora had made to always come back to her?

"Kairi?" Aria asked softly, her gaze full of concern.

Shutting her mouth, Kairi put on a small smile and reassured Aria, "It's nothing important really. Just something stupid that's been bothering me since we first started our adventure."

Raising an eyebrow, Aria nodded unconvincingly. "Uh-uh. Yeah, okay. It's nothing important my butt. Somethings bothering you and it's causing your heart great turmoil."

Turning to face Aria fully, Kairi crossed her arms and furrowed her eyebrows. "You're reading my heart again, aren't you?" She muttered accusingly, clicking her tongue in slight annoyance.

Aria at least had the grace to look sheepish. She kicked at the ground, glanced away at the ocean, before returning her gaze to Kairi's own. Chin jutting out in stubbornness, Aria murmured apologetically, "I'm sorry, okay? I don't mean to...read your hearts. I mean...it's just..."

Now it was Kairi's turn to raise an eyebrow as Aria trailed off before she sighed softly. Running a hand through her black hair, Aria continued her explanation, "It's just that your hearts bring me safety and comfort. They're all so bright, and warm, and like home that I seek them out without thinking to keep my sanity in check that I haven't lost any of you for good."

Gazing softening, Kairi sighed herself and could have kicked herself for being so dense. Of course, Aria would be checking up on them regularly after her father's death. Chewing on her lip thoughtfully, Kairi let her arms fall to her side. "I'm sorry, Aria. I didn't mean to come off defensive there...not when you didn't do anything wrong. You're just worried about us, especially after losing your father. It's just all so...complicated." Kairi settled on though "complicated" didn't really seem right on her tongue.

Grunting softly, Aria dug her nails into her arm as she released a painful breath. "Nothing to apologize for. I shouldn't have been prying into your heart. It's not a nice feeling having someone constantly feel out your heart - even if they have the best intentions. Besides, I should be apologizing too. I never did properly apologize for leaving last year after we finally got back home."

Immediately, Kairi jumped off the tree and grabbed Aria's hands in hers. "Aria, no! Losing your father immediately after finding him had to have been hard on you. I can't even imagine the pain and loss that you were going through."

Giving a weak smile, Aria shook her head and said softly, "Even so...that didn't give me any right to leave you all without a word. You guys were worried sick and I was too consumed in myself to even consider your feelings or how my actions would affect you. It was selfish of me."

Wrapping her arms around Aria, Kairi tightened her grip and whispered, "It's alright, Aria. Yes, we were worried out of our minds when you disappeared and we couldn't find you. Yes, we wanted to go after you and bring you back to us. Sora was ready to get a hold of King Mickey somehow and ask him to borrow a gummi ship to go looking for you. But I knew that you needed to do this for your own reasons and that you'd come back when you were ready."

Squeezing her eyes to keep the tears from falling, Aria swallowed thickly, "I needed to find out who I was. What my purpose for all of this was...my destiny, I suppose you could say. I wanted to get stronger to protect you all from Xehanort. I don't want to lose any of you like I lost my father. It would kill me."

Gripping Aria tighter, Kairi blinked back her own tears. The image of Aria crying and screaming for her dad still haunted her to this day. Knowing now the reason why Aria left made her want to cry even more. "You are stronger and no matter what, this time, you have all of us by your side. Besides, even though I'm not as strong as you all, I'll still fight alongside you. I won't be useless anymore. Not when you, Riku, and Sora need me the most."

Letting out a watery laugh, Aria hugged Kairi tightly before pulling back. Slipping her hand into Kairi's, she pulled them both onto the sand, leaning against each other as Aria tried to stop the tears from flowing. Finally, Aria spoke up once she had calmed down, "You know, I used to think that I was useless when we first started out. That you guys would be better off without me...especially after Sora got turned into a heartless and I couldn't do anything to save him. I felt so useless then. As if you guys would have been okay without me there because you ended up saving Sora."

Jerking in surprise at Aria's confession, Kairi squeezed her fingers around Aria's tighter and leaned her head against her shoulder. Shaking her head, Kairi was quick to protest, "You were never useless though, Aria! You saved Sora and Riku multiple times, you even helped Riku down the right path to accepting himself as he is. You are far from useless... unlike me."

"That's my point, Kairi. We are a lot alike in a way: we both think that we're useless. When in fact that's far from the truth for either of us. Yes, we have both been useless in certain situations. But we both have attributes that counter that useless. For example, you can guide us with your pure light out of any darkness. I know that you've done it for me when I needed it most, though I'll admit that I let my anger at Riku override that in the long run. Anyways, back to my point, it's just like how I can lead you all down the middle path of accepting both light and dark. We both have our weaknesses, but when we work together, we cover each other's weaknesses. And that's how we'll beat Xehanort for good. By working together," Aria countered.

Kairi could only stare in shock at her only female friend. Gone was the timid girl that had been afraid to let them out of her sight. Instead, that little girl was replaced with a strong-headed woman whose heart had been filled with doubts, pain, and misery only to still come out as good. She was proud of her friend and, knowing that Aria was reading her heart to see if she had overstepped her boundaries, let her feel it. She couldn't stop the giggle at the blush that formed on Aria's cheeks though.

"Stop it," Aria murmured embarrassingly. Rubbing the back of her head, Aria puffed out her cheeks before poking Kairi on the arm, turning the conversation into a lighter tone. "Don't go telling the boys any of this. You know they don't do the mushy-feeling type kind of talks that we can have. They may share the same feelings, but I still have a precious image to keep up in front of them."

Giggles turning into laughs, Kairi pressed a hand against her mouth to quiet them. "Don't worry, Aria. I won't let them know that you have a girly side to you. But you do realize that Riku has been glancing at you a lot since your last talk with him at Master Yen Sid's? I wonder what you did to catch his attention like that." Kairi replied, teasing.

"Kairi!" Aria half-whined, half-screeched in embarrassment

Kairi laughed wholeheartedly now, not bothering to cover her laughs, as Aria's face went an unusual shade of red. "What? It's the truth, Aria. I'm curious to know what you did exactly." She grinned and kicked her feet in delight.

"It's n- no!" Aria sputtered out before trying to explain only to dig herself into a deeper hole. "It's different! He's different!"

"Of course, he's different. Sora and I are like siblings to you. Riku is something more." Kairi teased softly, enjoying this playfulness between them.

Still flushing red, Aria's eyes narrowed softly before her own teasing smile appeared. "Yeah, he's different to me. Just as Sora is different to you."

Now it was Kairi's turn blush, but she didn't bother trying to deny it. "Yeah, he is. He always has been since I first saw him." She said softly.

Aria's gaze softened and she sighed quietly before letting out a small chuckle. Bumping shoulders, she said, "We are a pair of suckers, aren't we? Both of us falling for our childhood friends. It's a good thing we both only have feelings for the one. If we didn't...then well...things would get too complicated for my liking."

Snorting, Kairi hummed in agreement, "It's funny in a way, don't you think? How everything has worked out up to this point between us all and us as pairs. Both you and Riku have gone through so much since we all started. Both personally and relationship-wise."

Making a noise of agreement, Aria reminded her softly, "Don't forget about you and Sora too. Both of you have had leaps and bounds of success in a much shorter time than Riku and I. You shouldn't sell yourself short- isn't that what you told me once before?"

Smiling softly, Kairi giggled. "I did, and I'm guessing that you are hinting that I should take my own advice?"

"Yup!"

Both girls burst out into giggles, all of their worries and fears melting away until they couldn't breathe. Kairi felt a wave of gratitude and decided to enjoy watching the ocean with Aria. Soon, as the sun was starting to show signs of setting, Aria stood up.

"Where are you going?" Kairi asked curiously, wondering why Aria would leave all of a sudden.

Pointing in the direction of the docks, Aria gave a small smile and explained, "Sora and Riku are coming. I figured that you'd want to spend some alone time with Sora in a somewhat private setting without Riku or me near."

Blushing faintly, Kairi went to protest, but Aria giggled before she could. "Don't worry, Kairi. I'm not going anywhere too far. Riku needs some time to himself and well...you and Sora need some alone time to talk about everything." Kneeling down, Aria squeezed her hand, comfortingly, "Don't forget Kairi that you aren't useless, and you can protect Sora the best by being there for him."

Kairi blinked as Aria walked away before she smiled widely. "Thanks, Aria. For everything you have ever done for us. I promise to keep you safe, just as I will Sora." Kairi promised both Aria and herself with determination.


	4. Chapter 4

**So…yeah, I know I should be working on the actual story, but then this popped into my head. It is a possible future scene if the story goes the way I have planned. I hope you enjoy it either way!**

**Also, if there's anything you guys would like to see just drop a review or a private pm with your suggestions!**

* * *

There was a silence that settled over the group briefly after Mickey finished telling his story. Aria parted her lips, ready to speak, before clamping them shut. A hollow feeling washed over her as she stared at Mickey in disbelief.

All this time Aqua had been in the Realm of Darkness. The same Realm of Darkness that Riku had visited twice and Sora had once. The thought made Aria's stomach do flip flops as her skin crawled in discomfort. She couldn't even begin to imagine what poor Aqua must be feeling down there...stuck in that horrible place...for about a decade with no one to help her.

"Riku? Aria? Are you guys okay?" Kairi asked softly. Her eyes shone in worry, glancing between a sick looking Aria and a tormented Riku. She reached a hand out to place on Aria for support but her friend took a step back.

Swallowing thickly, Aria sucked in a breath, and much to her horror, her voice cracked when she spoke, "I...um...yeah -" She blinked again before managing to get out, "I just need some fresh air. I'll be back in a few."

Kairi dropped her hand as she watched Aria practically race out of the room. Glancing over at Riku, to see his eyes follow Aria, Kairi smiled softly to herself. She had a feeling that this was something the two of them needed to talk about.

Placing a hand on Riku's shoulder, she shoved him towards the door and told him, "Go on. Talk to her, Riku. Goodness knows it's something you both need to do. You've been acting so weird around each other lately."

Riku glanced at her briefly, then followed Aria outside. She was sitting on the steps to Yen Sid's place, knees brought up to her chest, and her arms wrapped around her knees. She turned her head slightly towards him when she heard his steps.

"Did you know that I spent years with them? My father would take me over there often and I'd get to play with them. Sometimes I'd watch them practice with their keyblades and I remember how beautiful Aqua looked. When she fought it always looked like she was dancing and adding in the magic...it was the most beautiful sight ever." Aria told him, voice coarse.

He sat down beside her, their arms brushing against each other, as he kept his voice level, "Are you okay?"

A bitter laugh escaped her. "Do I look okay?"

Shaking his head, he glanced down at his hands and clutched them, muttering quietly, "Of course you aren't okay." Sighing when he only got a grunt in response, he added, "What happened to them wasn't your fault."

Aria whipped her head around towards him and snapped, "Not my fault?! It was all my fault, Riku! I was there the night everything went down. I watched as Master Eqarus attacked Ven. I watched as Terra arrived and started attacking his **own **Master. I watched as the darkness surrounded him. I watched as Ven pushed me a way to keep me safe. I watched my father intervene and never know what happened to him...to any of them! I should have done more to help them. To do something for them. Instead, I was cowering in fear, crying my eyes out, and completely useless!"

"You were four years old, Aria. There was nothing you could have done then. They all made their choices and it sounds like there was nothing you could have done to stop them from going through with it." Riku reminded her calmly.

Shaking her head, Aria continued on even though she barely registered what he was telling her.

"I know that there was nothing I could have done then! But I could have done something years later when Destiny Islands was taken away! I could have looked for them harder while searching for you three. I could have gone with Sora to fight Ansem instead of staying back with Kairi to wallow in my hurt pride and lick the wounds that you caused. Because if I had been there I could have sensed her in that horrible place and she wouldn't have had to save you and be lost again!"

Riku closed his face off from showing anything to her. "Do you still blame me, Aria? For everything that happened then? For losing your friend?" Not letting her answer, he stood up and clutched his hands, "Because you have every right to. Because I allowed Ansem in, I let the darkness take over for me, I ended up in the realm of darkness. Aqua saved me because I was in danger. It is my fault for her being lost still when you could have had your friends back by now."

Looking at him with guilt plastered on her face, Aria felt her mouth drop open in surprise at his words. This then leads to budding anger that he would even dare think that and she hit him hard on the chest. "You idiot! Stop doing this! Stop making it seem like you ruin everything when you don't."

Riku frowned slightly. "It was because of my actions that she got lost. You said so yourself a moment ago."

Growling in frustration, Aria hit him again but harder this time. Stepping closer to him, she cupped his cheeks, forcing him to look at her as she grounded out, "It's. Not. Your. Fault. None of this is your fault. I blamed you at first years ago when it first happened, but I don't anymore." Blowing out a sigh, she explained softly, "I shouldn't have said what I said because I wasn't blaming you. I'm frustrated with myself because **I **had an opportunity to save her and I was being a child instead."

Pressing a finger to his lips to stop him from speaking, Aria continued on, "Aqua always did what she felt was right. Saving you that day was the right thing to do because she gave us a chance to fix our friendship...she allowed us to grow into the people we were meant to be...and I am selfish enough to say that I am glad in a way that it happened this way. Otherwise, I don't think our friendship would have lasted."

Grabbing her wrist, he gently tugged it away from him before dropping it slowly. "I'm going to go down to the realm of darkness to save her, Aria. It's the least I can do for everything that she's done for me."

"You're going down to the realm of darkness!? How?" Shaking her head desperately, Aria murmured, "That doesn't matter actually. I'm going down with you! I won't let you do this alone Riku."

Smiling softly, Riku shook his head and explained, "Mickey is coming with me. The three fairies made us suits that will help against the darkness down there. We'll get Aqua back in no time." Placing his hands on her shoulders, he added, "You need to stay here and help Sora out when he comes back."

Lips thinning out unhappily, Aria curled her fingers into his vest and snapped, "I'm still going down with you. I'll be more of a help to you than to Sora. He has Donald and Goofy by his side. He doesn't need me. You need me more because I can help locate her for you. It'll be a lot more efficient than just wandering around, yeah?"

Sighing softly, Riku shook his head and tried to tell her, "Aria, Master Yen Sid probably has something important for you to do. Besides, this is Sora we're talking about. He's always going to need his sister by his side."

Grinding her teeth together as he countered her arguments, Aria pressed her forehead against his chest. She was gripping his vest tightly now, tears falling silently down her cheeks and onto him.

Riku went still when she pressed against him and even more so when he felt her tears. His hand hovered over her shoulder, unsure of what he should do to comfort her now that he had made her cry. "Aria...I.."

"I'm scared, Riku. I'm so, so scared." Her voice trembled. "All my life I have lost everyone I care about. First, my parents. Then Terra, Aqua, and Ven. And then my new home, my new parents, and you guys. I managed to get you guys back, but in the end, I ended up losing you and Sora again. I thought I gained back Ven but it turned out to be Roxas. Only I lost him too. I keep on getting people back and losing them again. I just got you back and now I can lose you for good. And that thought terrifies me to my very core."

Slowly Riku placed his hands on her shoulders. When she didn't pull away from him, he wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her tightly. "I know. I'm scared too, Aria. Of many things that include losing all of you. You most of all with Xehanort going after you now that your father is out of the way. We don't know why he wants you exactly, but I know that you'll be safe with Sora. He won't let anything happen to you. If you are with me down in the realm of darkness...there is no guarantee that you'll be completely safe or that you won't fall to the darkness. This is the best option."

Making a noise, Aria sighed softly and let herself rest against Riku. Squeezing her eyes shut, she swallowed her disappointment and agreed, "I know this is the safest way for me, but I'm more concerned about you."

"I'll come back, Aria, along with Aqua and Mickey," Riku reassured her softly.

Opening her eyes, Aria pulled back slightly to look at him. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she asked, "Promise? Promise me that if I agree to go with Sora then when you need help you'll let me know? I'll keep on checking up on you so don't get any ideas on trying to lie to me."

Laughing softly, Riku smirked, "I promise. As long as you stay out of trouble."

Grinning now that the uneasiness was edging away, Aria countered, "I'll try. But Sora gets into a whole different kind of trouble with wanting to help people."

They were interrupted when the door opened and Mickey came out carrying two different suitcases. Smiling wistfully, Aria said quietly, "I guess it's time for you to head off. Be safe, Riku."

Stepping away from her, he nodded seriously, "I will. Keep your promise, Aria."

Trying an answer around the lump in her throat, Aria ended up nodding in the end. Watching him walk over to Mickey, she had a sudden urge to go up to him one last time.

"Riku! Wait!"

Waiting until he turned to face her again, she threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. She put every single emotion she was feeling into the hug before quickly pushing herself up onto her tiptoe and kissing him quickly on the cheek.

"Good luck and be safe," she murmured, face starting to heat up. She didn't give him a chance to reply or do anything really since she was running back into the building to see what Yen Sid wanted from her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Long time no see! Anyways, to keep this short, this was going to be a chapter for later on in The Promises of Yesterday. Looking back on it now, I have no idea why I wrote it like this. So while I might use some elements from this I can say for certain that I won't be using this exact copy. **

**Have fun, enjoy, and I hope you are all staying safe!**

* * *

Head pounding, Aria rubbed the back of her head as she opened her eyes. She winced at the light, but after a few blinks was fine. She remembered being in Halloween Town. She remembered fighting the heartless. She remembered catching a glimpse of Sora, leaving Minnie and Max behind, before running after him.

She frowned slightly and gripped the token Sora had given her. Heart beating faster, she licked her lips nervously, the memory of what happened next hitting her a feeling of deja vu. Riku had come out of nowhere, stepping in front of her, and had used some kind of spell to knock her out.

Brushing her skirt off, Aria sighed to herself, eyeing the place warily. The last time she had met Riku it hadn't left them in the best of situations. She could only imagine what he wanted with her now. Oh well, at least he had left her in an old-wooden room that was rocking gently underneath her feet.

She nearly snorted, thinking to herself, _He brought me to a ship? Why? There are so many different worlds to choose from...unless he's working alongside someone from this world. Riku has the darkness spread throughout your heart so quickly? It can't have. I know that you're stronger than that. _

"Damnit, Riku. Where did you bring me through exactly?" She asked herself huffily.

"Have you just forgotten? You met the owner of this ship before." A voice said from behind her. Aria was quick to spin around, palms held out calmly, glowing a faint white colour in case she had to fight.

Dread curled in her stomach, knotting around the little seeds of fear that were planted there too. Eyebrows furrowing, she glared slightly, not liking the undertone of that voice. A voice she knew all too well. Her eyes softened though when they met the blue-green ones of her friend.

"Riku…I-" she trailed off with uncertainty lacing in with his name.

Raising a hand, he told her, "It's Hook's ship. You met him at Maleficent's castle last time."

Lips curling in disgust, at the reminder of being in the witches castle, she retorted snappily, "Well, sorry. You can't exactly expect me to remember someone so horrible and rude. He was nuts. Along with the rest of them including Maleficent. Can't you see that she's just using you, Riku?"

"Same old Aria...always looking for excuses for your fear." Riku mocked her, stepping closer.

Fingers curling into her palms, Aria breathed in deeply to keep herself calm. Riku was just trying to rile her up and she wouldn't let him do it. "Those aren't excuses, Riku. They're the truth. You want to know what else is the truth?"

"Oh? What is this other truth, Aria?" Riku asked, stepping closer to her.

Blue eyes narrowing slightly, she jutted out her chin and hissed angrily, "You let them corrupt you. You're not the same Riku that was my best friend for ten years. You're...someone else completely, and I want _my _Riku back. The one who cares about his friends that would fight for them…not this one that only cares about himself."

Riku paused and frowned, "What? I'm still me, Aria. Just better and stronger now." Now he waved a hand at her, admitting, "I'm surprised that there was no question about Kairi or Sora."

"That's not what I meant, Riku, and you know it!" Aria shouted, starting to lose her patience with him.

Holding out his arm, Riku smirked when his keyblade was out in front of him. "Isn't it? You've stopped looking for your father."

"What?! No, I haven't! That situation-"

"Your right. I know he's still alive, Aria." Riku told her smugly. "Yet, he hasn't come for you. Which makes me think he doesn't want you."

"Liar," she hissed, tearings burning in her eyes. "Stop lying to me! I may not know why my father never came for me, but it wasn't for that reason!" She denied. She hated how he was playing on the hidden fears that she kept buried down deep inside her.

"Your heart is weak," he muttered softly. "It is why he left you. Why your friend left you. It's why you shouldn't get in my way and just stop looking for the others." He took a step closer to her, his voice growing darker and darker with each word, "You are worthless and weak. It is no wonder everyone around you disappears." With that, he turned to head to the door.

Aria's blood had frozen at Riku's words before it began to boil. Now, she wasn't easy to anger or upset, but Riku had pushed all over her buttons. Her hands glowed white and she found herself shooting out a fireball, yelling, "Firaga!"

Riku spun around, keyblade in hand, and dodged it easily, avoiding the flames. He didn't avoid the sudden white light that slammed into his chest and sent him flying backwards. He let out an angry sound before pausing and retreating up the stairs.

Aria tore out of the room, eyes filled with hurt and anger, glancing for a way out and only seeing a set of stairs. Taking the steps two at a time in her urgency to get to Riku, Aria was quite taken back by the heartless that were on the deck.

Focusing on the heartless, Aria blew out a breath before her eyes landed on Kairi. Surprise jolted down her spine, and at that moment, she completely threw Riku out of her mind as she ran to her best female friend.

Collapsing on the ground beside her, Aria's hands hovered over Kairi's limp body in worry. "Kairi...what happened to you?" She asked fearfully.

"Must you always get in the way, Aria?" Riku asked, stepping behind.

Now the anger returned to her as she turned slowly. But it was dulled by the fact that Kairi was right beside her and knew she wouldn't let Riku anywhere near the redheaded girl.

"Don't you even dare come closer, Riku." She warned him, showing him her light covered hands.

Reaching out a hand, he countered, "Then give me, Kairi. I don't have any need for you anymore."

Gritting her teeth, Aria ignored the stab of pain and put herself into a standing position. "The only way you'll be getting to Kairi is by sending me to the Underworld with Hades." She snapped at him.

"I'm not afraid to use the keyblade on you this time," he warned her.

"I know. But it felt so good slamming you with my powers that I'll do it again to knock some sense back into you," Aria told Riku, stepping closer to him.

The silvered-haired boy took that as a sign to go ahead. He lunged forward, rolling underneath the beam of light this time, and pulled back his keyblade. He thrust it at her and she twisted her body to the left, letting it skim by her. She kept moving backwards, using the light as a deflector for the too-close-for-comfort calls since he wasn't giving her any time to counter the attacks otherwise.

She yelped in surprise when her back hit a wooden pole. Eyes widening in panic, she tripped over her feet just as she felt something cold slide down across her cheek. She grunted in pain as she landed, her hand twisting the wrong way to catch herself, along with something warm and wet, sliding down her injured cheek.

The fear was back in full force, her breath hitching as she tried to calm the growing panic while a part of her mind went back to _that _day. Something cold pressed her neck, and when she turned her eyes upwards, it was like seeing a double. Of how Terra had stood in front of her and Ven. His keyblade out, darkness curling around him like a blanket and a dark, angry look in his eyes.

Her body was shaking visibly from fear now, the odd tear or two falling down her cheeks, as she gasped for breath. Paralyzed, Aria whimpered, eyes unseeing as she got stuck in the past. Terra's image disappeared when a cool blade was pressed up against her neck, and Aria had nowhere to look but into Riku's cold eyes.

"Just give up. You have no chance against me."

"Aria!"

A shadow covered Aria for a brief second before Sora landed in front of her. Riku jumped back as Sora swiped his own keyblade at him before taking a protective stance in front of Aria. Donald and Goofy were quick to stand on either side of Aria, their staff and shield out in front of them too.

"Sora…" Aria choked out in disbelief. The shock was starting to wear off and leave nothing but numbness now. The numbness was better than the fear she had been feeling. It was better than the coldness that was seeping into her bones while her body shook harder. Tears blurred her vision, and she nearly collapsed into sobs right then and there but managed to hold it in barely.

"Riku!? Have you gone mad? You just hurt, Aria. _Aria_! My sister...your friend...you hurt her! Why would you hurt her like that?" Sora demanded, anger entering him at the broken sight that was his sister. He hadn't seen her this bad since he had first encountered her all those years ago.

Riku scoffed and shifted slightly, "You know half the reason why."

Glowering at Riku, Sora lowered himself into a fighting stance. "Half of the reason? What do you mean, Riku?" Sora asked, voice rising. "You mean that '_she was in the way_'?

A strangled sound caught Sora's attention and he glanced back at Aria. His eyebrows furrowed in worry at the_ look of fear_ on her face. He had never seen that expression on her before and something in his heart stirred uncomfortable with guilt.

Touching his heart briefly, a bit confused at the strong sense of guilt, Sora blinked before shaking his head. He needed to focus for Aria's sake. It looked like she needed it and he was willing to do anything to get that fearful look off of her face.

Taking a deep breath, he continued on, "We all have ways to help each other in our times of needs, but as long as we're there for each and not making it worse is what matters. But whatever you said to her it's not helping."

Riku glared at Sora with a hard gaze. "You're wasting my time." He snapped, anger flashing across his face before he thought better of it. Instead, he snapped his fingers, the shadow moving from Sora to Kairi quickly. Sora spun around to sprint towards Kairi, but before he knew, she was in Riku's arms.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted, rushing towards them.

But it was too late.

Riku had made a portal and was already stepping inside it, carrying Kairi in his arms. The last thing Sora heard from Riku was, "Aria deserved what she got. Next time I won't go easy on you, Sora."

Gritting his teeth, Sora felt helpless as his friends disappeared. He noticed that Aria was still just sitting there on the ground, and as much as he wanted to get her out of this world and fast, he needed to lock the keyhole first. He just hoped that she could hold on for a bit longer.


End file.
